Governor ready for early shot

With more than six months until the state's general election for governor, the incumbent, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, planned to hit the TV airwaves Thursday with a commercial critical of Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka.

Blagojevich campaign aides declined to discuss the details of the ad Wednesday, though they called it "comparative" in nature. But Blagojevich's move may be the earliest attempt by an Illinois candidate for governor to use television ads against a November opponent.

In each of the last three campaigns for governor, candidates waited until early June before showing up on television in an effort to sway minds and tarnish their opponents. In one of the most successful early launches, Republican Jim Edgar, who was governor at the time, spent heavily on television commercials beginning in June 1994 to portray Democratic nominee Dawn Clark Netsch as being soft on crime.

Blagojevich began airing TV ads promoting his record in the weeks leading up to the March primary and continued them for weeks after handily defeating his challenger.

The first-term incumbent can afford an early TV ad strategy thanks to an enormous campaign account--one that was enriched at a fundraising event Wednesday night at the Field Museum that carried a minimum price tag of $1,000 per person. His traditional spring fundraisers have helped him amass about $15.5 million in campaign cash on hand at the end of last year.

Blagojevich said fundraisers are "part of the political process" and that the money he raises allows him to push his policies, such as state-funded health care and preschool for children and prescription drugs for seniors.

"I think it's impossible to do this if you knew in your heart it was something other than helping people," Blagojevich told about 3,000 people Wednesday night. "What you're doing is helping us help people."

The event, which was expected to raise several million dollars, offered donors the ability to serve as a "co-chair" of the fundraiser for $10,000, as a "benefactor" for $5,000, as a "patron" for $2,500 and as a "sponsor" for $1,000.

Two of the co-hosts run firms that have provided Blagojevich with more than $750,000 during his political career--attorney Robert Clifford and longtime friend and adviser Chris Kelly.

Little more than a year ago, Clifford represented Kelly after Blagojevich's estranged father-in-law, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), accused Kelly of trading plum positions on state boards and commissions in exchange for campaign donations to the governor.

Mell later recanted the charges under threat of a lawsuit, but the accusation drew the attention of federal investigators who questioned the governor.

Blagojevich has denied any wrongdoing.

Clifford and his law firm have provided Blagojevich with more than $431,000 in cash and other donations since June 2000, state records show.

Kelly's CGK Consulting provided $337,000 in cash and loans during Blagojevich's first run for governor, records show.

Until recently, Kelly had served as chairman of Blagojevich's campaign fund. Kelly also has served as Blagojevich's point man in efforts by the state's Gaming Board to develop an unused casino license in the state.

Another co-host of the fundraiser was developer Neil Bluhm, who headed a group seeking a casino in Des Plaines. Bluhm has given Blagojevich at least $10,000 since he took office, records show. Also co-hosting the event was former attorney general and comptroller Roland Burris. Burris and his consulting firm have donated at least $12,000 to Blagojevich.

Topinka, the three-term state treasurer, had less than $1.5 million in her campaign account at the start of the year and was forced to spend heavily to survive a contentious primary.